I showed you how to map drives to the IBM i; now I'll show you how to map drives from the IBM i.

By Tom Snyder

In my previous TechTip, I discussed the benefits and capabilities of mapping a network drive to the IBM i. In this TechTip, I will discuss the opposite perspective: how the IBM i can access external resources by mapping a drive from the IBM i.

Use the IFS and NetServer to safely and securely provide file access to users.

By Tom Snyder

The IBM i is an extremely reliable system that is an excellent resource for your company's most crucial information. Many PC-centric applications use critical files that may be stored locally on the client's hard drive. When proper backups are neglected and the client's hard drive fails, you may be left with disastrous results. What better way to provide the most reliable support, backup, and accessibility than to store files on and access files from the IBM i? IBM supports this capability with the IFS in collaboration with NetServer.

Use ntop to display, graph, analyze, and sort all your network traffic statistics across all network protocols.

There are many utilities available for Linux and Windows that perform various network traffic monitoring and sniffing, sometimes too many to choose from.

Building an intranet instant messaging system for only company use is easily accomplished with two open-source projects: Openfire and Spark.

Everyone should be familiar with the numerous instant messaging (IM) systems circling the Internet today. The clients that usually come to mind are

Some time ago, I was given the task of implementing a messaging system on my employer's intranet. Since many computer viruses, malware, and spyware programs are viciously spread across many of the commonly used chat clients, my IT department decided to limit this security threat by going with something that could be easily built solely for internal use. After much testing and consideration, Openfire and Spark were deployed.

MSN Messenger, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, and IRC, to name only a few. All of these clients are great for communicating with friends, family, and anyone you want to talk to remotely, but they typically involve going outside an internal network, which can cause security concerns.